Broncos & NFL

John Fox tickled to see Broncos' rookies at long last "on the grass"

The traveling and countless interviews from various NFL teams are over. No more prodding from medical personnel and questions from family and friends about where your professional career will begin.

Broncos rookie minicamp began Friday, and coach John Fox is glad to have the evaluation process turn to the real thing.

"The evaluation process is always a lot of fun, very time consuming, a lot of hard work by a lot of people, but to get out on the grass and actually see guys in a Broncos uniform work on the things we do is always exciting," Fox said after Friday morning's session. "You love getting back on the grass, no doubt about that. You spend a lot of time evaluating these guys, whether they're draft picks or college free agents. At this stage, after one practice, we're getting to know them and they're getting to know us. So probably a little too early to be jumping all over evaluations. But it was a good first day. I liked the enthusiasm."

The three-day minicamp concludes Sunday. Fox said his staff's focus is to educate the young players "about learning a new language."

"Ball, at the end of the day, is ball, and so it's just about getting them acclimated to the way we do things, the way we call things, so basically about learning a new language," Fox said.

Former Colorado State standouts Kapri Bibbs and Shaquil Barrett are participating in the camp after signing free-agent contracts with the Broncos.

"Just a great opportunity for me and I'm just going to take advantage of it and do the most I can to compete," said Barrett, a linebacker who also considered signing with Pittsburgh because of Steelers assistant coach Joey Porter, a former Rams linebacker. "It's nice to have somebody out here that I know (in Bibbs). We can push each other if we're slacking. I know what he wants in life and he knows what I want in life. It's this right here and we're going to motivate each other."

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Bibbs, a record-setting CSU running back, said: "I love being here in Denver, playing with the Broncos. I feel like it's a great opportunity. God makes everything happen for a reason so I feel like it was the reason I'm supposed to be here. ... It feels real great. As a kid you dream of stuff like this and now it's all coming true."

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